Numerous lateral file cabinets are known which possess the capability of mounting a plurality of slidable drawers, and in many instances the uppermost drawer is replaced with a storage cabinet having an upwardly swingable front door. Such cabinets typically employ a key-operated lock mechanism for securing all of the drawers and doors in a locked position. The lock mechanism typically positions the key-activated rotatable lock plug either along one of the side edges of the cabinet, typically at the upper end thereof, or in the middle of the top rail so as to control vertically-movable locking bars which are slidably mounted adjacent the front corners of the cabinet frame for cooperation with the drawers. This lock mechanism has typically required an intermediate linkage extending between the opposite sides of the cabinet, and such linkage is typically positioned to extend across the upper part of the cabinet housing so as to not interfere with the movable drawers and related structures of the cabinet. This makes such structures more complex, and makes access to the lock plug more difficult in view of its elevation.
Some of the known cabinets have also provided a slidable posting shelf which can be pulled out into a working position when desired. The cabinets which have been provided with such shelves, however, have typically not provided any capability for locking the posting shelf. Further, most known cabinets have not permitted the same basic cabinet structure to be provided either with or without a posting shelf, nor have they permitted the elevational position of the posting shelf to be selectively varied within reasonable limits.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved file cabinet, particularly a lateral file cabinet, having an improved lock mechanism associated therewith. The lock mechanism is provided substantially centrally of the cabinet between the front vertical edges thereof, and is positioned at a convenient access height located intermediate the upper and lower extremes of the cabinet. The lock mechanism includes a rotary lock plug which is mounted either on a posting shelf or a filler plate which extends horizontally across the front opening of the cabinet between a pair of adjacent shelves. The posting shelf or filler panel can be interchangeably provided, and either can be located at one of several predetermined elevations within the cabinet depending on the size and arrangement of the selected shelves. The rotary lock and a motion transfer mechanism is mounted directly on the filler panel or posting shelf and projects sidewardly therealong closely adjacent the front of the cabinet. The motion transfer mechanism has latch bolts which project sidewardly for cammingly moving and holding the locking bars in their raised locking positions. The improved lock mechanism employs a rack-and-pinion arrangement for connecting the sidewardly projecting latch bolts to the rotary lock plug to maximize the stroke of the latch bolts responsive to the rotative movement of the lock plug.
The improved cabinet of this invention can be provided with a slidable posting shelf, which posting shelf can have the locking mechanism mounted thereon so that the posting shelf is also locked in its closed position when the locking mechanism is activated, or the cabinet can be provided with a filler panel in place of the posting shelf, which filler panel also mounts thereon the same locking mechanism. This selection between the posting shelf and filler bar can be made at any time since both interchangeably fit and removably mount on the cabinet in substantially the same manner to permit utilization of the same cabinet structure and retrofitting of the cabinet with one or the other.
The improved cabinet of this invention also employs an improved housing structure wherein the housing including back and side walls and wraparound front corners all formed in one piece from a single sheet of thin metal plate, with appropriate supporting and reinforcing channels being welded to the inner surfaces of the side walls when the metal plate is still flat so as to facilitate the welding operation, following which the plate is bent to form the rear corners and hence the back and side walls. This thus provides a cabinet having a housing which can be economically constructed, and which housing has smoothly rounded corners which are free of welds so that the housing has a highly desirable appearance. This is particularly significant since cabinetry of this type is often utilized in free standing environments which permit the back of the cabinet to be readily visible.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with cabinets of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.